Dedicated
by Musical Fairytale
Summary: It's aggravating, knowing that something that you need to do can be done better by someone else... If I screw up... I won't be able to live with myself if that happens... I'm dedicated to Orochimaru-sama and I'll do whatever he wants...
1. Chapter 1

**Me: Oi! Say hello to my first post of the new year! Whoo! Twenty twelve! I feel bad for those who believe that the world is going to end this year… Waaay too much pressure to do things! Oh well, according to the myth, we have until the winter solstice (Dec. 21) which is two days before my eighteenth! I better live to be legal! DX Anyway… *looks over to group of Naruto characters* Who should we have deliver the dedication? Hm… Oh Sasori…**

**Sasori: *comes out* All right, all right…**

**Deidara: Wait for me, un!**

**Me: Great! The more the merrier! Ah… I'm sooo glad that Kishimoto-san made you two a canon pairing… Well, a hinted at canon pairing. Let's go!**

**Sasori: This story is dedicated to Gin no raita wa bara who asked the author for an Orochimaru story.**

**Me: Surprise! You weren't expecting this were you? Sorry that this isn't the whole story, but the rest should be up within the next two weeks. Just a small side note, the manuscript for this story has been through Hell and back. I had the first half of this chapter written down on lined paper, and then a few days ago… I lost it. Then, this morning (I've been working on this since eight-thirty) I had a good couple hundred words written… then I accidentally deleted it. I re-read it and revised certain spots over and over again until I was happy (cumulatively, the revisions probably took a good two hours) and then I wrapped it up. I'm pretty freaking proud of this so you better like it! XD Dei, will you do the disclaimer?**

**Deidara: Sure, un. Dream does not own the manga/anime Naruto, yeah. That belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-san, un. She doesn't own Daniella either. She belongs to Gin no raita wa bara, un. **

**Me: Thanks men! Now on to the story!**

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

"Orochimaru-sama wishes to see you." A female voice announces from the open bathroom door behind me. I recognize the voice as Tsuchi Kin's and I'm very glad that I'm just brushing my teeth, as opposed to using the toilet or taking a shower… Of course, if I were doing either of those things, I would have made sure that not only was that door closed, but triple locked too. Here's what it's like: Oro-sama is the head of a company of rogues that, in age, range anywhere from usually no younger than thirteen (of course every rule has its exception, as occasionally a special child, such as moi when I was ten, will catch Oro-sama's eye and will be let in, despite our young age), unless they are an experiment in which case age really doesn't matter, to no older than forty. Very few are over thirty. The majority of the population consists of men from nineteen to twenty-seven, as those are Oro-sama's preference in vessels. I've only met three other girls that are actually meant to be kept alive. Let's compare that to the number of men that are walking around freely (there are HUNDREDS of experiments that are kept in designated rooms so I don't count them)… That makes four to one hundred I believe. You'd think that this would be paradise for me, right? Only three other girls my age (now thirteen) to compete with and many good looking and a few not so good looking older, mature males? I would think so. Well, you and I would both be wrong. The ones that actually glance my way more than once a week are major perverts, or jerks. Or, dare I say it, possess pedophilic desires… Ew, ew, and double ew! Besides, I already have my sights set on someone…

"What for?" I ask suspiciously, through a mouth full of toothpaste. I wish I didn't feel the need to question her like that, I mean, she's one of my few allies in the place but ever since her prick of a teammate, Abumi Zaku, thought that it would be hilarious to pull one over on me shortly after I got here, I've learned to be wary of all with whom he associates…

_Flashback_

"_Hey short stack!" A prepubescent male voice called from down the corridor. I look to identify the origin, and see Zaku. I scowl at him as he approaches me._

"_What do you want?" I snapped. This guy has rubbed me wrong ever since the day I got here two weeks ago. He's only one year older than I am but treats me like that makes a world of difference! He also tends to bounce back and forth between addressing me as short stack (which really pisses me off, I mean, I know I'm short for my age, but he's not much taller than I am! He's only got like half a foot on me!) and new meat._

"_Hey, hey! Tone down the hostility. Maybe I won't tell you what Orochimaru wanted and let you take the heat for it." He smirked smugly._

_My ears pricked (funny choice of words considering whom I am talking to) up at Oro-sama's name. "What does he want?" _

_Zaku's smirk became more defined. "Hm. Not telling. Unless… You say please."_

_I clenched my fists and miraculously managed to not punch him in the gut. There was nooo way that I was going to be polite to this -insert obscene insult of your choice here-. He didn't deserve it. "Just tell me where he is." I growled. _

_He was full on grinning now. "No."_

"_Fine! I'll ask someone else!" I cried, pushing him out of my way. _

_His laughter reached my ears. "He's around the nearest corner, fifth door on your right! Just walk in, he hasn't been hearing people knock for some reason!" _

_I smirked triumphantly. I'd quickly learned that being forceful is the only way to get what you want with most of these people. I hurried in the direction Zaku told me. He may be a butthead, but he's not stupid enough to not carry out orders… or so I thought. I quickly ran my hand through my messy dirty blonde hair, trying to look somewhat presentable, before opening the door. _

_I immediately notice that something is not right… The room is filled with steam. However, it hadn't registered that I had walked straight into a trap. "Or-Orochimaru-sama?" _

_All was quiet for a moment until a reply came. "Yesss? Who isss it?"_

_I was caught off guard. Hadn't he summoned me? "I-it's Daniella. I-I was informed that you had need of me…" I squinted through the fog and managed to make out a silhouette. _

"_Were you? I have no sssuch need…" The cloud began to dissipate._

"_O-oh. I-I'm s-sorry. Zaku had relayed the message to me…" Only then did it click. Zaku. That evil little conniving… Whilst I was otherwise occupied, the warm mists began to clear even more, until I could actually see my Lord… With nothing but a small towel wrapped around his waist. Oh dear. "Oh!" I squeaked as I felt heat rise to my cheeks, knowing that I was turning as red as a tomato. "I-I'm v-very, v-very, v-very sorry Orochimaru-sama!" I closed my eyes and spun around, scurrying out as quickly as I could… While repeatedly bumping into the wall. Don't ask me how, but it seemed no matter how far I turned, I kept bumping into the same wall. I didn't dare open my eyes, for fear of repeating what I've already seen. I tried one last time to exit the room, but once again failed to find the door… This time, however, I did not collide with the wall, but something that responded to me. I wished that I could drop dead right then and there. _

"_Well now… I don't think that you're doing this quite right." I heard him chuckle. I jumped as I felt the sudden pressure of a gentle squeeze on my shoulders. More pressure came as he gently spun me around and moved his hands to my back, pushing lightly to guide me out. _

_End of flashback_

I remember cursing Zaku to the deepest pits of Hell for weeks after that. And I thought that I hated him BEFORE that incident.

"Mission briefing." Kin replies. I feel something similar to a rock drop into my stomach as I bend over the sink to spit and rinse out my mouth. It was THAT again… About a month ago, Oro-sama announced that there was going to be a mission that included everyone… An invasion. An invasion of his home village, Konohagakure to be exact. Most everyone had received their assignments a week ago. Kin and her teammates, Kinuta Dosu and Zaku were going in first, under the guise of genin from our "village," Otogakure, in the chunin exams. We'd even allied with Sunagakure, in order to use their ultimate weapon. From what I've heard, it's an indescribable power, possessed by a boy my age, named Gaara. I've yet to receive an assignment, which to me means only one thing: I'm going to be left behind. Our army is small, and we need every ounce of man power that we can get, another reason we've allied ourselves with the sand village, but no matter what is happening, a minimum of ten people need to be left behind to baby sit Oro-sama's experiments and prisoners. It's usually an assignment given to the lowest in rank, or to those who have displeased our commander. Very rarely though are there enough people who have been deemed unworthy enough to have to suffer the indignity of being left out, so most of the time it's a random drawing. I've never had to do it before and I really don't want to now, but at this point I have a feeling I'm stuck.

I sigh unhappily. "Where?"

"The usual room."

I nod and she leaves. I sigh again as I run my hand through my dishwater blonde hair, trying to decide what to do with it. I always do my absolute best to look good for the pale visage man whom I serve. Out of respect, but also because… well, I'm really… attracted to him. No one knows this of course. I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but I know that I figured it out soon after he decided to start training me himself. When I had been here for roughly seven months, he put me on a training regimen with the Sound Five (the Sound Four when Kimimaro got sick…) and that carried on for around sixteen months. By the time I was done with them, I could kick some serious tail. I could push them pretty far in the first stage of their curse seal. Those without a curse seal (Zaku!) didn't have a prayer against me. Then, completely out of the blue, Oro-sama declared that he was going to take over my training. I was shocked, to say the least, but of course I wasn't complaining. Two months later, I realized what the feeling in my stomach every time I was around the snake-like male meant. Six months post the sudden decision, I was virtually unstoppable. No one (save Oro-sama) could take me down with out going second stage. It's seven months later and nothing has changed… Sadly. I'm ashamed to say that I don't have the curse mark. I know waaay better than to question Oro-sama's motives, but why? It can't be that I'm like Kin, Zaku and Dosu (as cool as Kin is most of the time, everyone knows that her team is more than just too weak to go through the process and would die instantly. The only reason anyone cares is because Oro-sama has big plans for them. He'll get rid of them as soon as he's used them to their full extent), so why? I'd be so much stronger if he'd give me the blasted mark! …I really need to stop thinking like that. I'm dedicated to Oro-sama and what he says goes. I finally decide on just a high ponytail, quickly pull my hair back, and exit the room. I immediately bump into someone.

"Hey there Pet. Where's the fire?" A tenor voice teases. I don't even have to see the face to know who it is. A voice that has deepened a little over the three years that I've known him is as well known to me as my own, unfortunately. Not long after the joke that he played on me, he heard (*cough* eavesdropped on! *cough*) Oro-sama calling me Pet. I love the name to be honest, I think that it's cute, but Zaku milks it for all it's worth in order to poke fun at me.

"Leave me alone Zaku. I'm not in the mood and I have places to be." I snarl, trying to get around him. I say trying because the git kept stepping in front of me.

"Oh, like kissing up to Orochimaru?" He laughs. I glared, then futilely tried to get past him again, only to be intercepted.

"Just let me through!" I exclaim angrily. I have no clue as to how he does it, but he always manages to push just the wrong buttons with me, so I don't have much patience when it comes to him.

"Um… How about no?" He grins mockingly.

That did it. In a flash, I pull back my arm and let loose, nailing him in the gut. He falls to his knees, coughing. I notice that a few drops of blood hit the ground. My face is impassive as I stare at him. "I've told you way too many times Zaku. This is your last warning. Stop screwing around with me."

With that, I leave him in his pathetic position on the floor, feeling only slightly bad. Normally, I'm a caring person, but that boy just brought out the worst in me. I navigate my way through the underground to the room where Oro-sama conducts his experiments. I made sure to knock this time.

"Come in." I hear the voice of the object of my affections order softly. I do as he says and enter. Looking around, I see various beakers and test tubes filled with bubbling liquids, cadavers, injection needles and other medical supplies. In the middle of it all, staring at me with his narrow reptilian eyes, through his long black tresses, is Orochimaru-sama.

"My Lord, I was summoned?"

"Ah. Yesss, Pet. I have decided what your assignment will be for this mission."

My heart flutters as I register what he is saying. Does this mean that I'm not getting left behind?

"What would that be, my Lord?" I ask, attempting to keep the inflection of hope out of my voice.

"You ssshall be going with usss."

It takes every ounce of self control that I possess to not squeal and jump. Instead, I settle for replying. "I understand. What exactly will I be doing?"

An amused smirk makes its way onto his features, showing that he saw right through my forced calm demeanor. "You will be disguised as my second in command, using your transformation jutsu. Once we are in, you shall serve as communication between us and the sssand village ssshinobi. You mussst be dissscreet."

I nod, still ecstatic about the news that I will be going. "I understand."

"There isss one more thing…" He continues.

"Yes?" I raise an eyebrow. Please tell me that it's more good news.

"You are not ssstrong enough for thisss."

I feel my heart sink. I'm… not strong enough? "B-but m-my Lord… You just said-"

"Patience Pet. I did sssay that you are coming with usss. Firssst, however, you need sssomething."

I tilt my head to the side in confusion. What more could I possibly need? What else could enhance my strength? What do we have time for? We are meant to leave for the mission in a week. Unless… My eyes widen. "Orochimaru-sama? Are you…"

He smiles at me. "Yesss, well, I think that it's about time for that…"

I can't help it now, as a huge grin spreads across my face. Finally. He thinks highly enough of me. Finally. I know that I can now be of use to him. This day just keeps getting better and better.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see four shapes move. I turn my head and see my old teachers. Tayuya, Sakon, Jirobo and Kidomaru.

"These four will help you get through the processs of awakening. If you are prepared, we will now begin."

I look back to the snake and smile. That's all that I can do now. Smile and nod. The next moment, I see the pale man's neck extend, as his head nears me. As soon as I can no longer see his face, I feel his fangs prick my flesh at the base of my neck, near my right ear, and then sink deeper, causing me to gasp. He soon withdraws, his tongue gliding over the wound to seal it. The next thing I know, my whole upper right half is burning. I bite back a scream, but it can't be helped. I clench my right shoulder with a vice grip and fall to my knees, panting and wincing. Despite the fact that it hurts like seven hells, I know that it will be worth it.

"Quick! The pill!" I hear Sakon order. I don't see what happens next, but I do see a muddy brown ball shoved into my face.

"Eat it. It will help." Jirobo kindly prods me. I receive the ball from him with my free hand, pop it in my mouth, and dry swallow it. Almost instantly, the pain subsides. Then… Everything goes black as I lose consciousness.

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><p><strong>Me: …Don't worry, there will be more. I was sooo worried about how I was actually going to drag this out long enough to make a decent story, but then I kept getting tiny ideas for details (like the flashback) that added another few hundred words to each chapter! That made me happy. At this point, the story is pretty much writing itself, so as long as I'm not too busy with school or friends (don't worry, there's almost no chance of that whatsoever) the rest of this should be up by… the end of the month. Stay tuned!<strong>

**Deidara: Yeah, un! Review too!**

**Sasori: Please do or she'll whine to us when she's on feedback withdrawal.**

**Me: No I won't! …Maybe I will. But only when I get bored of my emo corner! But what they said, please review! I love critiques! Feel free to point out anything that I did wrong! Oh, and Silent Storm readers, I've just started re-writing the fourth chapter… Eh heh… ^ ^' You won't be seeing that for a little while… Well, we're out! Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: Whoo! Another chapter that I spent ALL FREAKING DAY WORKING ON! Gin… I really hope that you're loving this story. The only difference between this chapter and the first chapter is that today I've actually be doing chores. Though my chores only took about three hours… Which means that getting this done took over eight hours. You're very welcome miss. **

**Sasori: Oh quit whining. You like writing this story. It's your first Naruto adventure story.**

**Me: …Your point? **

**Deidara: Yeah, un! Don't complain! **

**Me: I just wish that I could find somewhere for you guys to come in… Gin would die of happiness if I could pull that off… Too bad there is nowhere in the plot that you would fit… Darn.**

**Sasori: Who says that we want to get involved? This is an Orochimaru story. That dude freaked me out enough when he was my partner… *shudders***

**Deidara: Heck yeah, un! He scares me too, yeah!**

**Me: …I can understand that. Fine. Hm. I will have to write another story for you two very soon. After I update my other stories. Be prepared. Okay, now Dei, would you please do the disclaimer?**

**Deidara: Sure, un! Dream does not own any of the characters, places or objects mentioned in this chapter, yeah. Daniella belongs to Gin no raita wa bara, un. Everything else belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-san, yeah!**

**Me: Thank you… *sits in emo corner* Why can't I own Naruto? WHY? So many things would be different! *standby while author has a fit* Okay. I'm better. *looks over to Sasori and Deidara who are staring at me with wide eyes* What? I deserve to throw a fit every once in awhile! I'm responsible, I get good grades, I do my chores and homework like a good girl! I can cut loose every now and again! *standby while author throws another fit* Okay. Now I'm done. I promise. *puts on halo and smiles sweetly, wrapping arms around Sasori's waist* On to the story!**

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

_I hear the familiar sounds of the bustling back water civilian village as the people mill about , carrying out their midday business. I feel the heat of the sun, high in the sky, on my back. I smell the wares of the common food vendors. The aromas are so potent, I can taste each individual item, without actually eating it. This is where I live… And it sucks. It's boring, it's trivial…_

"_Hey! Get out of here! You aren't getting anything from me Daniella!" _

…_and cruel. I'm only ten years old and I'm forced to beg and steal. Why is that? Well let's see… It could have to do with the fact that my parents abandoned me when I was eight. Me being born was a mistake. Not an accident, no, but a mistake. My parents were young and "in love." Tch. Yeah right. My mother was just a spoiled brat who wanted to grow up faster than nature permitted. She had met my father when she was fourteen. He was nineteen, and was letting the head between his legs rule his life. They had started dating shortly after she had turned fifteen. Eight or nine months later, bada bing bada boom, Mother Dearest was knocked up and they were engaged to be married four months before I was due. They had wanted me, they said. I believe that they did, but for all the wrong reasons. She wanted to grow up quickly, and he was just going with what she wanted. She must have been REALLY good in bed for him to stick around, or he really did love her… a little. I still say that he wasn't thinking with the right body part. Anyway, apparently they had been the perfect little newly wedded couple … Until I was four or five. Then the war began. Every summer, around the same time like it was clockwork, they would wait until they thought that I was asleep, then have this huge blowout. I remember hearing every word, but not understanding it . Then Mom and Dad would separate, and go stay with friends or family, Mom taking me. After a week or two, they'd apologize, hug and kiss, and things would go back to normal. The winter that I turned seven, things changed. Their fights weren't limited to the one season, and they no longer bothered to hide them. It kept escalating for five or six months, gradually getting more and more attention from outsiders. All of a sudden though, it stopped. Everything became happy and sunshine-y, with lots of family time. I assumed that it was because they had worked out their problems. I was wrong obviously. Dead wrong. My picture perfect life went on for six months before the night that ended it all. I remember that night very clearly. It was a cold November night, just after my eighth birthday, when the calamity started. Dad had stormed into the house, the smell of booze dominated his breath. His eyes were angry and bloodshot. He had called my mother out, and cursed at her like his life depended on it. To spare the sob story, I'm just going to cut to the chase and say that he walked out on us after that. My mother wasn't right when he did. She told me to go to bed, promising that everything would be all right. I, with my childish naïveté, believed her and obeyed. I woke up the next morning to find her gone. Her belongings had vanished along with my father's. There wasn't so much as a hair left to prove that they had once been there. I had cried for two days in my room, completely forgetting everything. Eventually, my growling stomach reminded me that I had needs to attend to. I quickly learned that I had to fend for myself, and began the process of begging. It got harder the older I became, forcing me to eventually resort to stealing. Of course, my theft did not go unnoticed, and soon enough, I was no longer able to eat regularly. Now here I am: On the edge of starving, with a cardboard box as my only shelter. Which will only last until the next rainfall. _

"_I said get out of here!" The cranky old fart of a man yells again when he realizes that I hadn't left. I shot him a glare, before reluctantly obeying. I scowl as I make my way back to the alley where I reside, vehemently kicking pebbles as I go. My stomach roars angrily as I clamber back into my box, where I do the only thing that I know how to do when I get this hungry: curl up and drown in misery. _

_I sigh and close my eyes, resting my head on my knees. That is, until I hear footsteps outside. I'm immediately on my guard, and highly suspicious. No one ever comes down this way. Every resident of the village knows that I'm here and thinks that I'll attempt to rob them. They're right… Though I swear that I'd only ever take enough to buy me a meal. The footsteps draw closer and I'm slightly afraid. I'm no weakling, I can easily hold my own in a fight against another civilian, and unless the boys that I fought a few days back were lying about who they were, as well as some low grade ninja. However, I'm so physically drained right now from lack of sleep (you try sleeping in a cardboard box) and hunger, that I'm not sure if I'm in a position to take anyone on. I listen even more intently, trying to determine the location of the trespasser. If I can get a reading on where they stand, I can launch a surprise attack that will hopefully scare them off. The footsteps are now right next to the box and I'm just waiting for them to stop so I can drive the owner of the footsteps away. Stop they do. Right at the entrance to my tiny home. _

_\_

_I lift my head with eyes open to see super pale feet, wearing black sandals that I've seen ninja wear, on the rare occasion that they pass through the village. I have a gut feeling that they aren't merely a new civilian fashion statement, and that this isn't a low ranking ninja. In a moment, my battle plan goes from prepare to attack to get out of there ASAP. I don't know what this person wants from me, as they obviously know that I'm here, and I really don't care to find out. I watch as a white hand descends, clutching a white box, that appears to be Styrofoam. I instantaneously recognize it as a take out box from one of the local restaurants, and have to stop myself from lunging out to grab it. As I lick my lips, the feet walk away, leaving the box. _

_Nothing matters as soon as I can't see them. I throw caution to the wind and make a beeline for the container, catching a whiff of the contents. Self control: let itself out. Self preservation instincts: chucked out the window. Like a wild animal, I tear the solid white foam lid apart and behold the contents. Two shish kabobs, one chicken the other beef, still steaming. I can tell that my mouth is flooding as I stare at the two edible items as if they were just delivered from heaven. I carefully pick up the beef one and hold it tenderly, as if it were a child, before gently removing the piece of red pepper from the top of the skewer, and slowly take a small bite. I cherish every second that the taste lasts, before swallowing and going back in for more. Probably faster than is wise, I devour everything on the stick, then proceed to the next one. After polishing that off, I heave a regretful sigh, which is succeeded by a chuckle, not from me. _

_My head whips around to the source of the laugh, and I see a creepy man, who I assume was the benefactor of my meal. All my instincts hit me hard. They all say the same thing. Run. Get away. Don't trust him. His whole body is unnaturally pale. That's not the worst part. He just exudes power and strength. Still not the worst. To top it all off, he is an eerie personification of a poisonous snake. That is the worst. _

"_Ssso… I take it that you enjoyed that." He says, still chuckling. Even his voice resembles the dangerous reptile that he appeared to be, and it sent shivers up my spine. I stare at him as his narrow eyes rake up and down my body appraisingly. "Hm… You are a very interesting child. What isss your name?"_

"…_Daniella. Rivers Daniella." I answer him. Normally, I'm much more prudent about whom I reveal my name to, but I feel that I at least owe him that information, in exchange for the free meal. _

"_Well Daniella, I have been watching you these last few daysss and I am very impressed with what I have ssseen. You have a lot of potential…" He hisses._

_Me? Potential? That's something I've never heard before._

_I raise an eyebrow at him in a manner that I have been told makes me seem a few years older than I am. "Potential to be what?" _

_He smirks and again, I feel inclined to run away. I stay put. _

"_A ssshinobi." _

_I blink owlishly. Did he really just say that? _

"_A-a shinobi? As in a ninja?"_

_He nods, not removing his eerie eyes from me. "Yesss. You are very ssstrong for your age and although obviously untrained, you appear to know more about fighting more than the average civilian. You are quick and agile. I would like to find out just how good you are." _

_Snake dude say what? I know that I'm tougher than everyone else in the village but am I really that tough? _

"…_What do you mean?" _

_His grin widens, frighteningly so. "I have an offer to make you. I leave here at sssunset, and you may come with me, to be trained in the waysss of shinobi. You will have food, ssshelter and othersss to look out for you, but in exchange, you must do asss I order you. You will be under my command. If you defy me, you will die. If you turn down this offer, it will not remain, even if I return to thisss place."_

_This is where a sane person would cry no, and say that they'd rather stay here and fight for their life, as opposed to following a scary snake man who could possibly eat them, rape them or otherwise harm them… Well, no one has ever accused me of being sane. _

"…_I'll do it." I confidently answer. His grin becomes so wide, it should probably be tearing his face apart. _

"_Very well then. Meet me at the entrance at sssun down…"_

I awaken from my memory/dream with a start. I feel an unknown power surging through me. I look around to find that wherever I am is pitch dark. I also find that my body is slightly cramped up. I stretch out, only to find that I am confined. My instincts tell me to panic and start fighting as I attempt to recollect my thoughts. How could I have gotten here? I was just at the hideout and… I received the curse mark. My hand jumps to the location of where Oro-sama had bitten me. That's right. Then I entered the "death" state. That still doesn't explain where I am, or why I'm here… Again I feel a foreign surge of power, and I smirk. Wherever I am, I'm about to bust out. I bring my hands together, and focus my chakra. I release just a little bit, knowing that it is all that I'll need. In a flash, my source of containment explodes with a ton of gray smoke. I chuckle at how easy it is. As the smoke clears, I look down to my hands, and see that my skin tone is darker than it was when I went unconscious. Along with that, my nails are longer and a heck of a lot sharper. Nice. I pick up on other vaguely familiar chakra, that is tinted with slightly malicious intentions, and an air of smugness. I whip my head up and take in where I am. I see a lot of trees surrounding the clearing in which I stand. Around me are a number of familiar people.

"She lives!" A voice shouts. I glance to my left to see the tan skin and multiple arms of Kidomaru. I smirk again, and look around at everyone. Kidomaru, Kin, Tayuya, Sakon, Zaku, Dosu, Jirobo and Oro-sama, who is looking at me in a way that I wish he would forever. His expression just screams pride and approval. Heck yes.

"Yeah I live. So what's going on?" I respond.

Everyone stares back at me. I keep my gaze fixed on Oro-sama.

"We are on our way to Konoha. We only have about a day'sss journey left." The reptilian man speaks. I nod. "Now the question isss… Are you ready?" I again immediately nod. I'm totally up for this. "Good, but I think we need to train you a little more, now that you have the mark…"

This is going to be fun. Very fun.

An hour later, I'm sweating bullets and panting, but I'm ecstatic. It did not take me long to figure out how to utilize the gift Oro-sama bestowed upon me. I found out that he gave me the heaven mark. He ordered me and the Sound Four to spar until I got the hang of it. I started off fighting Jirobo, and during that battle, I discovered the flame-like pattern that spread across my skin when I let it enhance my chakra. I also discovered how much faster my chakra drained in the first stage. When we were sure that I had gotten that down, we allowed ourselves to be taken over by the power that the curse provided, entering second stage. I wished that I had a mirror to see exactly what my face looked like, but what did it matter. My skin became very brown, and my nails practically became knives. I didn't have time to examine the effects any further, because Jirobo came at me again with full force.

He used his hands to send a wave (and I'm talking wave like a water wave) of earth at me. I managed to jump over that and head straight for him. Of course that didn't work, as he put up a barrier of dirt, which I crashed into. As soon as I did, the uprooted earth collapsed on to me, burying me alive. I quickly dug myself out and literally ran circles around the large male. When I had gotten to a speed where he could no longer see me, I attacked him from the right, knocking him over. Then I put my mark to good use, unleashing my wind style jutsu, which was three times stronger than it normally was. Of course, that wasn't all it took to take Jirobo down. He got back onto his feet and charged me. I dodged him and went back to using my speed. Being small has its advantages. I unleashed another wave of wind attacks, which wore him down. He started throwing punches randomly, and I knew that if he landed one on me, it was all over. I thought hard about what to do next. Even with me in second stage, a head on attack while HE was in second stage would be suicide. There was no way that I'd be able to take him down with a single hit right now, even if he was fairly worn down. So I kept up my pace, occasionally getting a punch in. A few minutes after his loose cannon strategy, I could tell that he was really worn out. Good. Then was the point that I thought that I might be able to take him out with one shot. I quickly created a shadow clone and had it keep running, distracting my opponent, while I took off in one direction. Once I had taken decent cover, my clone took off in the opposite direction, Jirobo staring after it. I saw my chance and jumped at it. Literally. I launched myself from the tree full force at him, with his back facing me. He heard me coming, but by then, it was too late. Sucker. I smirked at his surprised expression as I hurtled toward him, feet first. I made impact with enough force to not only knock him down, but send him skidding a good hundred feet, digging up the ground, creating a smooth little dugout. I fell to the grass as soon as I made contact, but I hurriedly got back up, ready to retaliate to his counter attack. There wasn't one. I gazed out in the direction he had gone and could see that he hadn't gotten up. I made my way over to him to see what the damage was. It was pretty good. He was down and didn't look like he was getting up anytime soon, quickly going back into his original form. I won. I let myself do the same thing, smiled and held my hand out to him.

"Good fight." I congratulated him. He smiled slightly back at me before reaching up and shaking my outstretched hand. He got up and we walked back to our spectators.

"Very good." Oro-sama said approvingly. I didn't miss the fluttering in my stomach and how proud I felt. It was great.

We progressed further, but not by much, as Jirobo and I were exhausted. We made camp for the night and just relaxed. Oro-sama explained in detail what would happen when we reached our destination. As soon as the leaf village came into sight, Kidomaru, Sakon, Tayuya, and Jirobo were to hide just outside the walls and wait for the reinforcements to arrive. Oro-sama and I would transform so that I could pass as his second and he wouldn't be recognizable to his old associates. Kin, Zaku and Dosu would just lay low and not make trouble. When the five of us entered the village, we'd go and meet the team from the sand privately. From their Oro-sama would keep giving me instructions, depending on what was going on. The day after we arrived would be the registration day for the chunin exams, which Kin, Zaku and Dosu would go to. They had the easy job. Play nice until the exams began, then kick butt. Simple as that. Of course, I'm not sure that that's simple enough for Zaku. After the briefing, we all just talked and laughed, and I couldn't not be happy. Sure, we were about to initiate a war, but that wasn't happening yet. Right then it was just about me, the people who were as close to a family as I was sure I would ever get, and the man that I love. We all went to bed content and ready to start the next day.

It is now the morning we are scheduled to arrive, and we're all doing fine. After a quick breakfast, a snide remark from Kidomaru about how I look better in my second form than Tayuya, and a quip from Zaku that I hit him for, we set out. We've been walking for a few hours now and we've entered the forests surround Konoha.

"Okay. It isss time." Oro-sama states. We all nod. The Sound Four take off to hide in the trees. Oro-sama does what he always does when he needs to disguise himself. He peels off his face, to reveal the face of one of his former vessels. The first time I saw that, it freaked me out good, but by the third or fourth time, I was unfazed. He pulls his hair up into a ponytail and now even I can't recognize him. He had left the hideout wearing a new outfit different than his normal ensemble. He is now dressed in a brown long sleeve shirt with matching pants. Over his shirt, he has a charcoal grey flak jacket. He then dons a hitae-ate with a music note on the metal plate, then turns his head to look at me, and I gaze back… What was I supposed to do again? Oh, right. Transform. I make the necessary hand sign and in a poof of smoke, I've turned myself into a tall woman with black hair to match Oro-sama's. I'm wearing a charcoal grey flak jacket over a light grey mesh shirt, with charcoal grey shorts. I don't look anything like my real self, which is good. I'm probably going to need to use at least both appearances to get around. I put on my own hitae-ate and see that Kin's team has done the same. We quickly check to make sure everyone appears legitimate, and proceed. Five minutes later, the tall red walls of Konohagakure come into view. Wonderful. Operation Destroy Konoha is underway.

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><p><strong>Me: …And that's a wrap for this chapter. Sorry if it's boring but it's just a filler. The real action will begin in the next chapter, which won't make it out until next weekend. I really wanted to get it out with this one, but I just haven't had time to get it going. Right now, it's publish as I finish each chapter. Maybe this week I can finish the next chapter and get the fourth one done and out next weekend too… Yes. This story is going to be five or six chapters probably. <strong>

**Sasori: Oh goodness… So the main character is in love with Orochimaru, right?**

**Me: Yep! That was Gin's request! **

**Deidara: But he's like, fifty years old, un!**

**Me: …Don't get me started on age. I can name one VERY famous couple where the guy is over a hundred… *cough* Edward and Bella! *cough* And Sasori's in his mid-thirties! Just as neither Sasori or Edward appear their age, Orochimaru's jutsu allows him to look younger! **

**Sasori and Deidara: …**

**Me: See? And I win another argument. Well I hope that you all liked this chapter! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Me: …Wow. I didn't think that I could do it, but I did! I updated not just one, but THREE of my fics in two days! Uh huh, who rocks? *dances***

**Sasori and Deidara: *watch with wide eyes* **

**Me: *stops* What? I'm happy! I didn't think that I was actually going to get this chapter out this weekend, because my social life actually came to life! I MIGHT have made it tomorrow, if I hadn't done it today. But the chances were slim to none. So everyone be happy!**

**Sasori: It was YOUR idea to go ice skating with your friend for two hours, after your five hour babysitting job…**

**Me: Yeah, well… She's awesome, okay? And I haven't been skating (in any form) for months! So there! Now give the disclaimer!**

**Deidara: Fine, un. Dream does not own Naruto, anime or manga, in any way, yeah. She doesn't own Daniella either, un. She belongs to Gin no raita wa bara, yeah.**

**Me: I do, however, own the first FOUR box sets of Naruto Shippuden! That covers the entire Kazekage Retrieval arc, my friends! Sooo much Gaara! XD And… in box set four, we see a lot of… Orochimaru. XP Need I remind you, this is a request, and none of my views (except for the fact that Zaku is a jerk!) are in it. Oh, by the way, my faithful readers, check up on my stories at the end of this one in a few weeks! I'm re-writing my story The Babysitters! Hopefully by then, I'll have uploaded another Urban Legend or two…**

**Deidara: Yeah, sure, un! Write more stuff that will give people nightmares, un! **

**Me: Hey! It's not my twisted mind that comes up with the scary stuff! It's other peoples! The urban legends are centuries old! I just put Naruto characters in them! **

**Sasori: Which is what gives people nightmares. Who wants to read about their favorite character getting slaughtered by a crazy psychopath? *cough* Orochimaru! *cough***

**Me: …Darn you, you sexy jerks… *sulks* Oh well… To counter the nightmares, I've been working on a series of stories that are based off of my favorite Disney films! They should all be out within a month or two! Yes… I'm going fanfic crazy… Mwa ha ha ha ha! Enjoy the story!**

**Sasori and Deidara: *sweat drop***

**Deidara: Run for your life, un!**

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

We enter the village without issue. Not that I thought we'd have any problems. I trust Oro-sama one hundred and ten percent. I can't help but be in awe when I see everything that Konoha has to offer. I see tons of people bustling around, shinobi and citizens alike. I can smell various foods as we go deeper and deeper. The one that I like most is the smell of ramen, from a quaint little restaurant that I notice is named Ichiraku. Eventually I see the village landmark: The Hokage mountain. Oro-sama had told me about it on our way over, and how each Hokage's likeness was etched into the stone. We keep our heads down (metaphorically of course, if we had done it literally, people would ask questions) and just go straight to the hotel, check in, and get to our room.

"Okay, now. You may go and explore, but be back here by dinner, and do not draw attention to usss." Oro-sama instructs. We nod to show we understand. Kin's team is immediately out the door. "Pet… Go out in your original form and pretend to be a genin…" My master orders when they are gone.

I want to question him, as this could mean trouble if I get caught lying, but I don't. "Very well Oro-sama… I'll go change into my regular clothes then…" I say shyly, which really isn't like me. What can I say? Oro-sama has… changed me.

I part from his company and go into one of the rooms and release my jutsu, turning back into a tiny thirteen year old, and switch clothes, keeping on my hitae ate. As soon as I am done, I peer out the window, to get a better view of where I am. There's really not much to see, I must admit, but at the same time, the village possesses a pull for me. Without further hesitation, I leap out of the room and on to the nearest roof top. If I stay up here, I'm less likely to be seen, which eliminates the need to lie, which gets rid of the chance that our little invasion will be discovered. I fly from roof top to roof top, happily watching the goings on of the cozy little place. Before I know it, I'm near the village gates, having gotten a look at everything else. I sigh, knowing that I don't have anything left to do, and turn around to head back to the hotel and wait for dinner. Then something catches my eye. A small group of about seven people are standing around. One of them, who I think is a guy, dressed in all black, with a wrapped up… I don't know what it is on his back, is holding up a little kid, who looks like he's shaking. I'd say that it was just some low grade bullying, but the dude in all black appears older than me. Just behind him is a girl with sandy blonde hair that she has pulled up into four ponytails that resemble land mines. She appears to be bored. In front of the dude (who kinda looks like a cat) are two little runty looking kids that I'm assuming are the friends of the kid who is currently being picked on. Along with them are two kids that I'd guess are about my age. One is obviously a girl with… pink hair? Whoa… She got an interesting haul out of the gene pool. And the last one…

"PUT HIM DOWN, YOU BIG APE!"

That was him. He has spiky banana blonde hair and is dressed in an orange jumpsuit. I'll be darned if he's the first one they go to for a mission of discretion, what with his wardrobe choice and voice that sounds like he's speaking through a megaphone. Heck, I'll be darned if he's anything but the very last resort.

"I just want to play with him a little… While we're waiting for the nuisance to get here!" Cat Guy said. I feel bad for the runt that he's holding, who is obviously in pain.

"YOU!" The loud one charged. I'm thinking that this kid is either really brave, or really stupid. I'm betting on the latter. Cat Guy glares, and in a flash, the loud one is on his back. The interesting thing is that he fell as if someone had just pulled his feet out from under him… He obviously has no clue what happened either. This is a pretty hostile situation. I wonder if…

"What a wimp! Is that the best Konoha's genin can do?" Cat Guy challenges.

Well that answers that question. Cat Guy and his female companion are foreigners. The way that he said Konoha's genin proves it.

The small ones rush to the loud one's side.

"Konohamaru!" They cry, staring at the captive kid. I'm guessing that's his name.

The loud one is up in a mere second, pointing at Cat Guy.

"Hey! You in the black pig suit!" He hollers. Pig? Huh… I guess I can kinda see how he calls it a pig suit… I still say cat. "Release him now and I'll go easy on you, goon!"

Oh boy… He was clearly dropped on his head when he was an infant…

Pink Hair quickly puts him in an impressive looking choke hold. "YOU'RE the goon! Do you want that guy to beat you up?"

"You're starting to annoy me!" Cat Guy directs at Loud Mouth. "First off, I'm allergic to 'shrimp'! Bad enough that you're a short little kid… You're disrespecting your elders! You make me want to kill him!" He makes a fist with his free hand.

…Wow. Someone was DEFINITELY exposed to tough love when they were little.

"What?" Loud Mouth and Pink Hair gasp. The two runts are now shaking as bad as the one being held three feet off the ground.

"YOU-" Loud Mouth begins.

"So I'll finish with this tiny shrimp… and move on to the jumbo shrimp over there." Cat Guy cuts him off, before throwing a punch.

"You… You…" Loud Mouth charges him again. It's futile though. Both are dead.

Suddenly, Cat Guy drops his almost punching bag, without even making contact. He grips the wrist of the arm that he was about to punch with in pain. At first I'm confused, but then I see a little stone hit the ground. But how? It's apparent that no one there threw it, so where did it come from?

"Tell me…" A new voice speaks. This voice is a low tenor and does not belong to anyone that I can see. "What are you guys doing in our village?" I glance in the direction that I hear the voice. There, in the nearest tree, sits a boy. He's hot, I'll give him that, and I can see that he's used to being in control of a situation… Like right now.

"IT'S SASUKE!" Pink Hair squeals. Fan girl, much? …Wait. Did she say Sasuke? As in Uchiha Sasuke?

Loud Mouth's sails deflate at the sight of him. "So?" He grumbles.

Cat Guy glares at him, while Ponytails blushes. The formerly captive runt takes the distraction as an opportunity and makes a beeline back to his friends, where he is embraced by the girl.

"Oh look. Another little brat." Cat Guy growls.

"Get lost." Sasuke coolly orders.

"Ooo… How cool!" Pink Hair and Runty Girl squeal. Oh brother…

The former captive points to Loud Mouth with tears running down his face. It's actually pretty comical. "Naruto… You suck! I can't believe we looked up to you!"

Loud Mouth (did the kid say that his name was Naruto?) is quick to attempt to reclaim his glory, squatting down next to his fan club president… At least I'm assuming that's who the kid is. "Don't be stupid. I could have handled that loser if Sasuke hadn't butted in!"

The kid turns his head away in disbelief. "Riiight."

Naruto grit his teeth and took on a mad expression.

"Come down, little squirrel!" Cat Guy taunts Sasuke, who glares. "Think you're pretty smart, don't you?" Cat Guy removes what ever the thing on his back was, startling his female companion.

"Tell me you're not planning to use the 'Crow!" She says, sounding remotely like she is begging. She moves to stop him.

"Kankuro! Don't!" A voice out of nowhere barks. Today has just been full of surprises. "You're a disgrace to our entire village."

Everyone's head whips to the source, mine included. There in the tree, hanging upside down on the side of the trunk alternate Sasuke, is a red headed boy that I feel safe assuming is my age. He is pretty cute, I'm not going to lie.

It's impossible to miss the look of surprise on the two foreigners' faces. I think their his teammates, but I could just be speculating.

"G-Gaara…" Cat Guy (Kankuro? I'm just learning a ton of new names today…) stutters. Is this bratty looking guy really a source of intimidation? Wait… He called him Gaara. He's the main reason that we're allied with the Sand! So this is the genin team that we're supposed to meet later?

"Have you forgotten why we came here?" Gaara questions.

"But Gaara… They started it. The little one slammed me!" Kankuro cries out. Way to be mature. Playing the blame game? How ninja academy is that?

"Shut up… Or I'll kill you." Gaara warns. Nothing in his tone suggests that he's even remotely kidding. From what I've heard… Gaara is a monster. He kills for fun, using chakra infused sand that I think he keeps in the gourd on his back. No wonder Kankuro is afraid of him…

Kankuro shivers under Gaara's glare. "You're right. I was out of line."

"We're sorry… Okay, Gaara?" Ponytails apologizes.

Gaara turns his head toward Sasuke. "Sorry about my friends." All of a sudden, in a rush of wind, Gaara vanishes from his position on the tree and reappears in a gust, on the ground in between his teammates. I'm sure that's who they are, anyway. "I know we're a little early… But wee didn't come here to play around."

"I swear it won't happen again." Kankuro promises.

"Let's go." Gaara orders without a second glance.

"WAIT!" Pink Hair calls.

Gaara stops and faces her. "Yes?"

"According to your headbands, you three… Come from the village hidden in the sand. Your country is one of Konoha's allies… But according to our treaty, your ninja are not permitted to cross the border without authorization. State your business! We can't just let you go your merry way." She demands. Well… Isn't she the little know-it-all? But she is clearly ignorant of what's happening to draw the genin from other lands here…

"…Ever heard the old saying about it being darkest at the base of the brightest lighthouse? Weren't you informed?" Ponytails scoffs, flashing her travel papers. "As you guessed, we're junior-level ninja from the hidden sand village. We're here to take the chunin selection exam."

Naruto, again, is apparently confused. I'd say that he's not the sharpest kunai in the arsenal. "What's the chunin selection exam?" Knew it…

Ponytails sighs and begins to explain. "You really don't know? Junior ninja are sent from the hidden sand village and the minor lands between our home and yours to compete against Konoha's own candidates."

The blonde male she's addressing seems slightly nervous and I can see him start to sweat. "Why test us all together?"

"Mainly to maintain the skill of all shinobi at the same high level of excellence. Also to foster friendship and understanding between ninja. And, of course, to maintain the balance of power between the lands themselves." Ponytails answers.

Naruto doesn't even wait for the end of the answer before conversing with his fan club president. "Hey, Konohamaru! Maybe I should enter this chunin selection exam thing too, huh?"

This ticks Ponytails off. "Listen, you! When you ask someone a question, it's considered good manners to listen to their entire answer." Tch… If Naruto is familiar with the term "good manners," then I'm Oro-sama's lover… Hold the phone… Far from a fair comparison. Especially when I wish that I WERE Oro-sama's lover…

I snap out of my train of thought when Sasuke teleports from the tree to the ground, in front of Pink Hair. "Hey! You there! What's your name?"

Ponytails seems about ready to swoon. "Huh? W-who, me?"

"No! I was talking to the spook beside you." Sasuke spat. Ouch… Shut down!

"…Gaara of the desert, at your service." Gaara replies. "And you are…?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." The raven haired boy smirks. Ha! I knew that it was Kin's team's target!

Sasuke and Gaara stare each other down for a minute, before the loud mouth interrupts.

"Hey! Hey! Don't you want to know my name?" He blurts. Needy for attention much? And it was getting good…

"No. Let's go." Gaara snaps, moving on, along with his teammates.

Sasuke begins to walk away, the smirk still cemented on his face.

Naruto squats down in front of Konohamaru and whispers something that I can't make out. Konohamaru must've told him something that he didn't want to hear, as his head falls. Then he jumps up, barking mad. "SASUKE! I AIN'T GONNA TAKE THIS!"

"Where do you get off sticking your nose in?" Sasuke, who had only gotten about ten feet away, shoots back.

I'm aware of a few new presences, and glance up to see Kin's team in the tree, on the branch that Sasuke had previously occupied. They know NOTHING about masking their chakra, like the two hotties seem to, as I hadn't known that they were there. If there weren't a circus going on down below, they would've been discovered. I quickly make my way around and behind them, listening in on their conversation.

"What do you think?" Zaku prompts.

"None of them are of any importance… Except the Konoha raven hair and the spook from the sand. Keep an eye on them." Dosu speaks up.

They haven't picked up on the fact that I'm right behind them yet, so I use that to my advantage. I get as close as I dare before speaking. "Don't worry about the sand kid. He's our ally. The Konoha brat however, he's your target."

They all jump and spin around to face me. Scare is a success!

"Hey shrimp. How did you get so well informed?" Zaku snaps. Heh heh. He's just ticked that I know more than he does. Loser.

I let myself don a haughty, I'm-better-than-you-expression. "It's called spying. That's my job, you know."

Zaku glares.

"Well, I've had a long day, so I'm going to report back early! Bye!" I say, knowing that I'm driving them mad with jealousy. Nyeah nyeah… I turn around and take off for the hotel, ready to have a private discussion about my part in this whole mission, and about the information I'd gathered, with Oro-sama.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: Well that was fun. Note: The vast majority of this chapter was taken straight out of the manga. That's why the dialogue is so… chopped up. <strong>

**Sasori: At least you can say that the scene that Daniella observed was authentic. **

**Deidara: Yeah, un! **

**Me: Heck yes I can! Well, it's late, so I'm going to bed! Night all! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Me: Yo! I'm back! I can't believe that I've been managing to publish a chapter of this EVERY WEEKEND! Especially considering that I've had random things come up that stop me from staying home to write this! This chapter was probably written the quickest out of any of them! A mere four hours! Cumulatively…**

**Sasori: You are getting faster… **

**Deidara: Yeah, un! **

**Me: Yep! Whoo! And you got after me in your last review for making you wait, Gin! Believe me! I'm cranking this story out as fast as I can! You should count yourself lucky that you've been getting chapters this frequently! Now be glad that I KNOW that I won't have that problem this next weekend, as everyone I know has stuff to do themselves, and therefore cannot come drag me away from the computer! Thank you Valentine's Day weekend! Of course for me, it's known as Single Awareness Day…**

**Sasori: Oh, just grow a pair and go ask out that boy you've been head over heels for since eighth grade.**

**Deidara: Come on, un! Man up, yeah!**

**Me: Aah! How do you know about him? DX *runs away screaming***

**Sasori: *sighs* Let's get the disclaimer done so that she doesn't come back to a lawsuit…**

**Deidara: Fine, un. Dream doesn't own the anime/manga Naruto in any way, shape or form, yeah. She doesn't own Daniella either, because she belongs to Gin no raita wa bara, un. **

**Sasori: …Great… Now since the author is MIA, I guess I'll just say do your best to enjoy the story…**

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

I reach the hotel in a matter of minutes, slightly out of breath. I run my fingers through my hair in an attempt to replace any loose strands, straighten out my clothes and rub my face to eliminate any traces of dirt, all out of habit, then proceed to enter the suite that our team shares. The first thing that I notice is that there are two men in the main room, one is Oro-sama and the other is a complete stranger, standing opposite each other and obviously discussing something important. I can just tell by their body language that the topic is our real reason for being here. The stranger is stiff as a board and is looking at Oro-sama with slight reverence, but at the same time, defiance. Oro-sama is clearly relaxed, as if they were discussing nothing more extraordinary than the weather. They didn't make any move to acknowledge my presence, so I continue walking, planning to go and relax in the bedroom that Kin and I would share, until the stranger left.

"Pet, come here for a second." Oro-sama beckons as I stroll past him, not taking his eyes off of the stranger. I notice that he has adopted a new voice to match his new body, which doesn't include hissing. Dang, I find the animal like speech alteration somewhat… alluring. The new one isn't horrible though. It's very masculine sounding. "This concerns you."

I waste no time in moving to my master's side. "Yes Orochimaru-sama?"

Oro-sama then turns his head to look at me. "This is Baki-san. He is the team leader of the genin from the sand village. He has some information for you…"

I nod to my leader, and give a slight bow to the man across from him. "Hello."

Baki-san nods slightly in acknowledgement, but his eyes are still fixated on Oro-sama. "Very well then. I trust that you trust her, then? If any of this gets out, the whole plan will be ruined."

He did not just do that. He did NOT just question my loyalty to Oro-sama. I instantly discover a disliking of this man, and don't bother to hide it. On the contrary, I proudly display it with a glare that I usually reserve for Zaku. "Listen you, I-"

"Now, now Pet. He is just taking precautionary measures." Oro-sama cuts me off, chuckling. He directs his gaze back to Baki-san. "Yes. I completely trust her. Now continue with what you were telling me, about your team, if you would."

Baki-san nods. "The team that I'm in charge of is very strong, but they are a little… temperamental." He stated gravely. "Especially the youngest one. Gaara won't hesitate to kill anyone if he feels the desire."

Oro-sama nods. "That is why he will be an asset to the mission. However, we do not want him slaughtering anyone on our side that we need. Pet, for example, will be running back and forth, relaying messages to them during the exams. It wouldn't be very good if she was killed."

Baki shifts his gaze to me. "Yes, well, Gaara won't take orders from anyone really. Your best bet is to seem weak in battle. That is Gaara's main drive. To murder those whom he deems a threat to his existence. If he sees you as nothing more than an errand runner, you may make it out alive, but I can't promise anything."

I feel my heart drop into my stomach. Though I will voluntarily lay down my life for Oro-sama, the prospect of it still frightens me. Greatly. Especially when my death will very likely be a slow, painful one. I know about Gaara's sand coffin, how it squeezes the life out of its victims, until they pop like blood filled balloons. I shudder at the memory of hearing the rumors around the hideout.

I'm brought out of my macabre train of thought by a hand on my shoulder, that I actually believe might be an attempt to be comforting. "Then we'll just have to keep her contact with him as limited as possible. We can't have my leading lady dying, now can we?" Oro-sama rhetorically questions. "We'll have them all meet tonight, and then she will only see them when she's giving them messages, where the meetings will have to be brief."

My heart flutters its way back to where it belongs. I really hope that I'm not misreading Oro-sama's actions, because what I'm getting is that he actually cares about me, and that he needs me. Score one for Pet.

Baki-san nods grimly. "Very well. We are staying on the floor above, room 501. Bring your team up at nineteen hundred hours."

Oro-sama nods back, and the other man leaves. I'm very aware that Oro-sama still has not taken his hand off of my shoulder. I make the mistake of turning to face him, which causes him to remove his hand. Dang it. I think that I'm managing to hide my disappointment. "U-um… What should I look like when we meet the sand team? My transformed self or my real self?"

He gazes back at me, and I see something foreign in his eyes. It's not something that was present any other time that I've talked with him… "Hm… I don't suppose that it particularly matters, as you will be showing them both forms."

I lower my eyes. Why is that? It's not like I will be able to talk with them at all in my transformed state. Jounin from one village have no reason to be seen with genin from another… Unless they get into trouble. Then I would have the authority to get involved. Then they would recognize me and not find me a threat. Oh boy. Oro-sama has thought of everything.

"I understand. I will be in my room until dinner arrives then." I raise my eyes back to my leader and dismiss myself, but am stopped when I see a new gleam in his eyes. He's staring back at me with a newfound… I guess you could call it an emotion. I watch as the hand that had been on my shoulder just a few minutes ago rises to my hair, brushing it out of my face and behind my ear. I do the only thing that my mind can process at the moment… Absolutely nothing. I can sense the heat rise to my cheeks and even though I know that I'm blushing, I don't care. If this is a dream, whoever wakes me up WILL DIE. And it will be a torturous death at that.

As soon as I think that thought, the door opens, and Oro-sama withdraws his hand. I spin around to find Kin, Dosu and Zaku staring at us with wide eyes. "What?" I bark. "We were just discussing my part of the mission. So quit staring like you just walked in on something scandalous."

They all switch to blank expressions. Better, but I know I'm going to hear about what it looked like from Zaku later. I try not to sigh exasperatedly as I walk from the room with my dignity intact.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I heave a heavy sigh as I look at myself in the full length mirror that hangs on the back of the bathroom door. It's aggravating, knowing that something that you need to do can be done better by someone else. I'm talking about a few issues here, for instance, I know that there's someone out there who can easily make themselves look appropriate for meeting an ally team that contains a boy that could kill me with a wave of his hand… Literally. I know that there's someone out there who can do a better job than me as a spy and informant. And I know for sure that there's someone out there who can figure out what the heck the actions that Oro-sama has taken around me mean. Unfortunately, the person that can do better than me was not assigned to this. I was. It's up to me to carry out my role, doing things like sneaking into places that will probably be heavily guarded, disclosing crucial information and dangerous stuff like that, knowing all the while that if I screw up, Oro-sama's plans will be destroyed. I will never be able to live with myself if that happens.

"Oi! Shrimp! It's time to go up to meet the sand freaks!" Zaku's annoying voice calls from the opposite side of the door. Hmph. I open the door quickly and shove him out of my way, then strut past him. That makes me feel a little bit better.

Everyone is waiting in the main room of the suite, ready to go.

"Sorry for holding you up…" I mumble. Apologizing really isn't my thing, but I understand when it needs to be done. Besides, it was mainly for Oro-sama.

"Well then, let's go shall we?" Oro-sama asks rhetorically. We all nod anyway, before exiting our temporary living quarters. We remain silent as we climb up to the next level, up until we find the room number. Oro-sama courteously knocks on the (oak?) wood door and steps back. Seconds later, it opens, and the blonde pony tailed girl that I saw earlier poked her head out.

"Come on in. We've been waiting." She invites somberly. She could be at least a little happy to see us, couldn't she? I dismiss the thought and wait for Oro-sama to lead the way in. Upon entering, I note that the suite is a replica of ours, except without the windows. There's the same green couches, the same little dinette area and the same layout with the main room and bedrooms. Camped out on one of the couches is the guy in the cat suit… He had been addressed as Kankuro, right? He's working on what I think is a puppet. A very creepy looking puppet. I notice something about him that I didn't notice before. He's wearing purple makeup. I bite back a laugh as subtly as I can. No one seems to pick up that I'm holding anything back, so I take the chance to recover. Looking just as he had when I walked in on him conversing with Oro-sama, Baki-san is standing straight up, facing Kankuro on the couch, his face revealing that he was none too pleased with the black cloaked younger male. I quickly sweep my eyes around the room, hunting for Gaara. I catch him propping up the wall behind Baki-san. His gourd is resting on the ground, also propped up, to its user's right. The red head, though not facing us, is observing us out of the corner of his eye, which seems to be laden with eyeliner. Creepy…

"Hello…" Oro-sama greets. "Did we come at a bad time?"

Baki-san turns his head to take us in, before sighing and shaking his head. "No. Let's hurry and get this done."

Oro-sama cocks an eyebrow. "Is this an inconvenience to you? I assure you, the Sound can withdraw from this alliance. Though, you have shaky relations with other countries, and if you choose to not be a part of this mission, the Sound will not come to your aid should one of them turn on you…"

Something briefly flashes in Baki-san's eyes, dare I say that it's fear, before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. "No… We will hold up our end."

Oro-sama works a smug expression. "Good. Shall we get on with the introductions then?"

Baki-san nods. "Very well…"

Oro-sama turns to the other three, gesturing to each in turn as he names them. "These three are the genin team that will be a part of the exams as well. Tsuchi Kin, Abumi Zaku and Kinuta Dosu. This…" He turns to me, gesturing as with the others. "…is Rivers Daniella. She will be our spy/informant/messenger. As you know, I am Orochimaru."

They all nod curtly. Baki-san then takes his turn. "These are the Kazekage's children. Temari…" He gestures to Ponytails. "…Kankuro…" He glances to the boy on the couch. "…and Gaara." He glances to the red head. "And I'm Baki."

"Very good… Now about my team, their only priority is to attack Uchiha Sasuke. They shouldn't bother you." Oro-sama states. "As for Pet, here…" He gazes at me. "She will pop up occasionally to tell you information and deliver messages that I have instructed her to… She will also be around to help in any complications, should the need arise. In which case, she will be transformed…"

I take this as my cue and transform into my Jounin impersonation.

"So listen to her, and we should have no trouble." He finishes. I release the jutsu.

"We understand…" Baki-san speaks for all of them.

"Excellent. Then we will just go back to our assigned arrangements, and the plan should begin without issue." Oro-sama smirks.

The sand team nods again, and we make our way back out. I can't help but notice that a pair of eyes are staring intently at my back as we do. We go back to the suite, and Kin, Zaku and Dosu go into their rooms.

"Pet." I hear Oro-sama say.

I turn to face him like a good subordinate. "Yes?"

He approaches me, cutting the distance between us to roughly a foot. I'm NOT complaining. "The others, they believe that they are merely here to kill Sasuke. I, however, have other plans form him. I will be inserting myself into the second exam, under a different persona. I wish to test him."

I run what he has said through my mind another time or two, before it clicks. "I see… But Orochimaru-sama, you could be exposed! Then your plans could be deterred!" I blurt out concernedly. Why would he risk this? He's been working on it for months…

"I know. However, should my personal mission succeed, I will have a body that will outdo all of my previous vessels. Along with this, I will have the sharingan that I have desired ever since my days in the Akatsuki."

So… Uchiha Sasuke is even more important than I had comprehended… "…I understand… But, why are you telling me this? It has nothing to do with me." Again, not that I'm complaining, but I'm curious.

In a second, the twelve inches between us has been reduced to maybe two, and the temperature has severely risen.

"I don't want you to worry about me." Oro-sama whispers in my ear. I can't help the gasp that escapes me. I then make the mistake of blinking, and in that fraction of a second, Oro-sama vanishes, leaving me alone with my raging emotions, confusion and one central question… He knows how I feel for sure, but does he feel the same way?

* * *

><p><strong>Sasori: And it's done… Thank heavens. <strong>

**Deidara: …This story just gets creepier and creepier, un.**

**Me: *comes back, relatively sane* It's Orochimaru! What do you expect?**

**Sasori and Deidara: *shrug***

**Me: *shakes head* Well, I can say that this is my second longest running story. It's over ten thousand words with these four chapters, and will probably be around thirty thousand by the time that it's complete. Gin… I feel like we're having a request war… kinda. I've gotten two from you with a total of four chapters, you've gotten three from me, with a total of six chapters and counting… I'm totally winning! XD Don't try to compare word count either, because I'm still totally kicking your trash. Mwa ha ha ha ha! *continues to laugh maniacally* **

**Sasori and Deidara: *sweat drop***

**Sasori: The weekend associated with the most acclaimed romantic holiday is quickly approaching, and instead of worrying about getting a boyfriend, she's declaring war…**

**Deidara: Run, un!**

**Me: You can't escape me! Ha ha! …Well, see you all next weekend! War, not peace, war! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Me: Oh crap… Oh good gosh… I can't believe it…**

**Deidara: What, un? That you didn't update for over a week?**

**Me: Yes that! Gin's going to kill me! Especially because I promised that I would get it out last weekend! DX I didn't get ANYTHING done last weekend, other than hanging out with friends!**

**Sasori: Oh relax. No one is that dramatic. It's just a story.**

**Me: … *hides behind Deidara* Fine, you can just keep saying that when she shows up at my door. I'll send you to open it so that you can deal with her. Ooh… That'll make her happy… I'm relying on you guys! **

**Sasori & Deidara: *roll eyes***

**Me: Oh, and will someone give the disclaimer in order to protect me from those blood sucking leeches that we call lawyers? Please? **

**Sasori: *sighs* Dream doesn't possess any rights to the concept of Naruto or the characters, or anything affiliated with it other than this fan fiction. Daniella belongs to Gin no raita wa bara… Thank goodness that she doesn't own us. **

**Me: I might as well… I can make you do anything with this keyboard. **

**Deidara: Like what, un? *randomly does the splits* OW!**

**Me: Like that. Haha! Wimp. I can do the splits, no sweat. On to the story!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

_I sit in a tree just outside the gates of Konoha, awaiting further orders from my master. I was instructed to wait here for a snake, or if I'm lucky, him personally, with a message. I possess only the vaguest notion of what I'm doing, which is passing on information to the team from Suna. I was slightly nervous when Oro-sama told me what I would be doing, but my hormones had overruled my self preservation instincts. Whose wouldn't? So here I am. I had inquired of Oro-sama why he couldn't just grant me all of the information, and he, being the genius that he is, explained kindly that if I was caught and interrogated, they had methods of withdrawing information from me. Whether I was willing or not. _

_I understand fully, of course. I'll admit that at first I was a little worried that Oro-sama didn't find me trustworthy enough to handle the information that long, but his reason makes perfect sense. _

"_Hello Pet." I jump at the sudden greeting and spin to my right to see my leader, transformed, perched next to me. _

"_Hello Orochimaru-sama. Everything is going according to plan, I trust?" _

"_Yesss. I need you to tell the sssand team not to kill Sasssuke, should they encounter him. Anyone elssse isss fine…" _

_I nod my head. "I understand." _

"_Good. You have done very well, Pet and I believe that you will continue to be of much ussse to me…" He leans toward me, and I can't help but mirror him._

"_I- I'm glad to be of use to you…" We both continue leaning in, our faces getting closer and closer. I know that I'm only thirteen, and he's at least fifty, making any romantic relationship seemingly disgusting, but: one, he saved my life; two, he's pretty much immortal, so his age doesn't really matter; three, he doesn't look, or act, like he's that old; and four, somewhere out there, there is a very popular book series about a seventeen year old involved romantically with a one hundred plus year old, and you don't see people getting grossed out over that. I'm brought out of my train of thought by a sudden pressure on my lips, and I notice that I'm closer to Oro-sama than I was a few seconds ago. Thank you, Jashin. _

_His lips are insanely tender, and not chapped or scaly feeling, like one might expect considering how snake like he is. They feel nice. Far too soon for my liking, he pulls away. Dang. _

"_Go now. I will sssee you back at the hotel…" He smirks, and in an instant, he's gone. I smile massively and sigh, before dead man dropping off of the branch. _

_I just kissed Oro-sama._

I_ just kissed _Oro-sama_._

_I just _kissed_ Oro-sama._

_And he kissed me too._

_I continue to walk through the forest, light as air. I'm supposed to meet the sand team around here, so I'm assuming that my best bet is to keep looking around. A rustle of fallen leaves to my left sends me into the shadows. I stay silent and observe for a few minutes. Nothing happens. I slowly move out of my hiding spot. Still nothing. Stupid me. It was probably just a minute gust that caused that noise. I walk forward, this time making sure that I'm aware of everything that goes on around me. _

"_They said to meet her here." A voice that I recognize as the female member of the sand team states. I follow the sound, and hide behind the tree that I'm sure that they are right next to._

"_Are we sure that she's reliable?" A male tenor voice questions. Ooh… He's going to get it from me…_

"_I don't know… She's trusted by that snake guy, who Dad seems to trust…" I glare. These guys… They just need to shut up and follow orders, instead of speculating who's trustworthy and who's not._

"_Yeah… We should probably stop talking about this. If she were to hear us and report back, it could mean trouble." _

_Hmph. That's right. _

"_Where is she though? She should be here by now…" _

_Fine, fine. I was hoping to garner more information but if I keep them waiting too long, they may be less cooperative. I step forward, ready to reveal myself, when I catch something out of the corner of my eye. I turn in the designated direction to see that nothing is there. I see it again in my peripheral, and spin to get a better look. Still nothing. I'm starting to freak out about now. Like, really bad. Something doesn't feel right… I notice a slithering across the forest floor, but it isn't a snake… It's sand. I jump up into the tree that I was hiding behind, only to find that the sand is right behind me. I keep moving, leaping from tree to tree, but the grainy substance is still in pursuit. My foot lands on another branch, but this time… I slip. I fall back and expect to hit the ground, but am caught instead. By the sand. The substance wraps itself around me, covering every inch of me from the neck down. I futilely try to fight my way out, finding it impossible, and I just about give up, when I see someone step out of the shadows. A familiar redhead. Gaara holds out an arm, his fingers spread out. This isn't good. I observe in total fear as those calloused fingers begin to bend. _

"_SABAKU KYU!"_

I snap my eyes open and bolt upright, just as the sun seeps into my room. That was scary. The scariest that I've had in a long time. I run my hands through my hair and wipe the sweat off of my forehead. I swear, the worst nightmares aren't the ones where you encounter mythical beasts that tear you to shreds and then eat the pieces, but are, in fact, the ones that are the closest to reality. I regulate my breathing and then it dawns on me. The day has come. The first exam takes place at four o' clock this afternoon in room 301 at the academy. Only Jashin and the Konoha specialists know what lies in store for Kin, Zaku and Dosu there, and the second exam following it. I roll out of bed and quickly dress, then groggily make my way into the small dinette.

"Ah! It's awake!" Zaku mockingly screams from the table upon seeing me. I shoot him a withering glare.

"Don't even start with me. I haven't even had my coffee yet this morning." I snarl.

"Great! Then you'll be even more fun to mess with!" He cheers.

"Zaku! Are you freaking SUICIDAL? I could easily kick your sorry rear end before I got this," I point to my curse mark. "Now with it…" I grace him with a feral grin, which I can see causes him to shudder. Great.

"Now, now Pet, don't go bullying thossse weaker than you…" My favorite voice hisses behind me, causing me to very lightly blush and smile as I remember the best part of my dream turned nightmare. Well, well… This morning just got a lot better. Though I still haven't had my coffee.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

It is now ten minutes to four, and Kin's team is at the academy. I'm back in the hotel room, after a day of exploring the village and sampling what it has, particularly food. My first stop had been that Ichiraku place and all I can say is: It was pure heaven. I love ramen, absolutely love it, so I'm satisfied with the instant stuff in a cup, but now… I'm not sure that I'll ever be able to go back to that processed stuff. After that, I climbed all the way to the top of the Hokage monument. I think that they were so stupid not to grant Oro-sama the title, and put his face up there. Now I'm reclining on the couch in the suite, and just reveling in quiet and solitude…

"Hello Pet."

And alone time with Oro-sama! Who has switched back to that voice… The one that I don't like as much.

"Hello Orochimaru-sama."

"You are prepared for the third exam in a few days, I trust?" He walks over to stand in front of the couch.

I nod as I move to sit up. We don't know for sure what the first two exams are, but we know that they are merely formalities, to weed out the ones who aren't up to par with the requirements of chunin rank. The third and final exam is a tournament, in which the genin who will be promoted will be chosen.

"Good…" He sits down next to me. "In an hour, I will be leaving, to join the second exam, which I have been informed will take place at an old training ground, which has been dubbed the Forest of Death… I plan to be gone for at least a day."

I nod again. "What do you wish for me to do?"

"I will need you to be my ears around the village. If you hear anything pertaining to the exams or Sasuke, I want to know it."

I, you guessed it, nod again. "Got it. Is that all?"

He nods. "For now. I will give you further instruction upon returning."

"Okay. I will start patrolling the village tonight, and hopefully, I'll pick up on some jounin with loose tongues."

He smirks approvingly. "You are clever. I am proud of you Daniella."

I feel the blush rush to my face and I move my eyes away from him shyly. That was the first time that I've heard him say my name since I had joined his company. "U-um, th-thank you…"

"I expect that you will continue to be of great ussse to me…"

My eyes dart back to his face. This is starting to sound vaguely familiar. "I- I hope so… That is all that I wish to do…" I trail off.

"That pleasesss me greatly…" He begins to lean forward. Déjà vu…

"Then I am also pleased…" I mirror him. Jashin-sama must be VERY happy with me lately, since this is the second time that I've had a dream like moment with Oro-sama- Oh. My. Jashin. I realize that my dream has come true, as I acknowledge that my lips are not merely touching air anymore and that my eyes are closed. As within my dream, I am kissing my master. Also, as within my dream, he is kissing me back. Lastly, as within my dream, he pulls away much sooner than I wish.

"Yesss… I can sssee that. I will sssee you when I return." I dazedly watch him as he rises from his seat and walks out. As soon as the door closes, I start freaking.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: There! I got it done! And I gave you fluff! Even though this is another filler... And it's kinda rushed... Please don't kill me! *hides behind Sasori*<strong>

**Sasori & Deidara: *roll eyes* **

**Me: I'm sorry! I've got other projects that I've been working on, and I had writer's block! DX Please spare me!**

**Deidara: … *cough* Drama *cough* queen *cough* un!**

**Sasori: I agree…**

**Me: Like I said, let's see you guys say that when she shows up on my door step with an axe like in the Shining! Hmph! …I've got to go… I can't promise that I'll get anything out next weekend… See you all! Review, please! Even though I probably don't deserve it… Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Me: Oh man… I'm sooo sorry! It's been over a month since I last updated! DX Gin… I'm sooo sorry! And this chapter isn't that good, or long… But to make up for this I promised her something! So please welcome my friend, Gin no raita wa bara!**

**Gin: *walks out* …Grr… You took waaay too long getting this out…**

**Me: I'm sorry! *hides behind Sasori***

**Sasori: Over reacting again?**

**Deidara: Yeah, un! She did not come to your door with an axe, un!**

**Me: …So maybe I was over reacting… A little… But I've given her good reason to be pissed!**

**Gin: Hell yeah you have! Get out from behind Sasori and face me!**

**Deidara: *puts his arm around Gin* Now, now un. Calm down. Let's not get violent, yeah?**

**Gin: Yeah… Right.**

**Me: Thank you Dei! Now does Gin want to give the disclaimer?**

**Gin: *sighs* Dream doesn't own Naruto. All rights and crap belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Daniella belongs to me. **

**Me: Thank you for creating that barrier between me and the lawyers. Now…**

**Me and Gin: On to the story!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

"So did you hear? They've got Ibiki as the proctor for the first exam." I hear a man say from behind me. I discreetly glance over my left shoulder to see three jounin, two men and one woman. I knew that this place was a good idea to pick up on some information regarding the exams. It just reeked of adults with nothing better to do with their time, so I figured that it would be a good place to start. I quickly sit down, with my back to them, just within ear shot of the three.

"Really, they've got that sadist running things?" The other male questions in a baritone voice. I catch a whiff of smoke from a cigarette.

"What sadist? Who is he?" The female inquires.

"Oh that's right. You're new to the jounin circuit, Kurenai. You wouldn't know about Ibiki." The same baritone responds.

"Yeah, so?" The woman, I'm assuming her name is Kurenai, prodded.

"Heh heh. Morino Ibiki is one of the heads of the interrogation corps. The man specializes in torture." In my mind's eye, I could just see Kurenai's eyes enlarge.

"What kind of torture? They wouldn't let him…" She trailed off.

"No, not physical torture. He doesn't need to lay a finger on someone to have them begging for mercy. He's the king of head games."

Oh… Now this is getting interesting… Too bad I didn't hear this yesterday. It would have done some real good.

"Will the kids be okay?" Kurenai pressed, sounding slightly more than worried.

"Oh they'll be fine." The other male stated. "It's the second exam that I'm worried about. They're stuck with that nut case Anko." I chuckle all but silently. Even among jounin, there's gossip.

"Oh as if you don't have a thing for her Kakashi!" The baritone laughs.

"You've been listening to the rumor mill too much, Asuma." The alternative, Kakashi, I think, replies nonchalantly. "I'd think that you being the son of the honored third Hokage would put you above that."

Oh… I've hit the jackpot! These guys are clearly well informed…

"What is the second exam?" Kurenai gets the conversation back on topic. I wish I could thank her, but then I'd be in a bit of trouble…

"It's taking place in the old abandoned training ground. They've renamed it the Forest of Death. Supposedly, each squad that makes it through the first exam will receive either a ten scroll, or a chi scroll, and the goal is to obtain both scrolls, in order to make it to the tournament, where everyone will be pitted against each other." Asuma stated.

Well, well now… I've scored some precious info here, and I think Oro-sama would be very happy to hear it. I rise slowly from my seat and walk out. As soon as I've exited the establishment, I book it for the surrounding forests. Looking around and finding that I'm alone, I bite m thumb hard enough to draw an ample amount of blood for what I'm about to do. I slam my hand down on the ground. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A poof of smoke later, a tiny grass snake appeared. I quickly strapped a scroll containing my information to it, and watched as it slithered away. Thank goodness snakes are intelligent reptiles. The question now is, what do I do? Everyone is in the exams, even Oro-sama…

"Hey you! What are you doing?" I spin around at the sound to see the three jounin that I had eavesdropped on. Crap.

"I'm doing nothing." I reply a little too quickly. Okay, calm down; don't let them see you sweat.

"Really now?" One of the men said. His voice was the higher of the two. This must be Kakashi. He had silver hair that was a massive mess and wore a face mask that covered all but his eyes. His leaf hitae-ate concealed his left eye.

"Yeah, just walking around, appreciating the greenery." I nonchalantly reply.

"Why were you eavesdropping on us?" I deduced that she was Kurenai, as she was the only woman, barked. She's pretty; I'll give her that, with her red eyes and black curly locks.

"Who said I was eavesdropping? I just happened to be there for a short while."

The last male, Asuma, fixed me with a hard stare. I can only think of one word to describe his appearance: rugged. "Hm… We'll let you go for now, but you better not repeat anything that you heard, to anyone, or you will regret it."

I bite back a remark about how if he did anything to me, Oro-sama would make sure that _he_ regretted it. "I won't. I only heard a little of what you were saying anyway." I assure them dishonestly.

"…I don't believe you, but we'll let you off… For now." Kakashi stated. They turned around and took off. That was waaay too close for comfort.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

A few days have passed, and it is now time for the tournament. Well, actually… the preliminaries. What happened was that too many teams made it through. There was a limit of thirteen, and only about seven made it, but that was still too many to display to the daimyos and other distinguished spectators. So there are ongoing preliminary matches, to narrow it down. It's now the final match, between Dosu, and some big kid. The other matches had proved to be pretty interesting, with the most unlikely victors, such as that blond loudmouth from the other day, and a lazy butt kid (I felt sooo bad for Kin, getting beaten by him). Heh, heh… Zaku got his butt whooped BIG time (for the second time) by a bug kid. It's about time someone did it; I'm just sorry it wasn't me. As for the Uchiha…

_Flashback:_

_I watch as this Yoroi, who is Sasuke's opponent, sends the boy flying. Things are not looking good for Sasuke. All of a sudden, I catch something spreading over Sasuke's skin… A flame pattern… The exact same one that I get when I go second stage. So… Oro-sama bestowed him with the gift, meaning that he's expected to join us. Excellent. Oro-sama's plans are panning out perfectly. I wait in eager anticipation as the pattern expands, waiting to see what will happen. I steal a quick glance over to Oro-sama, who looks like a snake that just came across a nest of robin eggs. Looking back to the fight, I see Sasuke clutching his shoulder, crouched down. Just like I was when I received my gift. He's fighting it. Cute. He'll have to give in sooner rather than later though, or he'll die. I let a smirk on to my face. I wonder what he'll look like… What? I blink in astonishment as the mark recedes. How did he…? Sasuke released his shoulder and stood up. He charged his opponent, kicking him up in the air. He followed, coming up underneath Yoroi. I blinked again, and he was kicking him downward repeatedly. _

"_LION BARRAGE!" _

…_Wow. The boy has some killer will power. And skill. No wonder Oro-sama wants him. In another minute, it's over, and Sasuke has won. _

_End._

That was surprising, to say the least. I don't know what Oro-sama thought, as he was gone the second the battle had ended. Speaking of which… Dosu just won his. Yay. At least one of them isn't a total disgrace. Although, they know nothing about the plans revolving around Sasuke. They were super surprised when they found Sasuke in the forest with the seal. I heard after Sasuke's match about what had gone down, and how Zaku got his butt kicked the first time.

I watch as the Sandaime Hokage called everyone together.

"Congratulations. Each of you has done very well, representing your respective nations in front of the others. Now, you will represent your nations in front of various lords and others. In one month's time, we will gather you together once again to battle. Now we will find out who will fight whom."

The proctor of the matches stepped forward, holding up a piece of paper which was organized into brackets, showing the pairs. "Here's how it's going to work. The first match is Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuga Neji." The named took this as an opportunity to really size each other up. "The next one is Uchiha Sasuke versus Gaara." I nervously glanced at Gaara, who remained impassive. I shudder at them memory of how he very nearly slaughtered that poor spandex wearing spaz. I then notice that Sasuke is not here… "Then, Aburame Shino versus Kankuro. Lastly, Dosu Kinuta versus Nara Shikamaru. The winner of that match will go against Temari. The victors of each match will progress to the next round."

A month… That's all we have left. We launch our attack in the finals. The smirk that I had donned earlier makes reappearance with an evil twist. Finally. It's almost time.

* * *

><p><strong>Me; Okay. I know this was rushed, and I know that it was a filler, but as you can tell by the last paragraph, there will be action in the next chapter… Whenever I get that written…<strong>

**Gin: It better not take long! *holds up fist***

**Me: Ah! *jumps behind Sasori* Save me!**

**Sasori: *rolls eyes***

**Deidara: Gin-chan, please leave the poor author alone un… *wraps both arms around Gin***

**Gin: Okay… I'm in heaven…**

**Me: Haha… Thanks again Dei-kun! See you next chapter! Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Me: Gin... I'm sooo sorry about the delay of this, but I swear to Jashin that I have a legit excuse.**

**Gin: ...Okay, I'll be merciful and let you choose the method that I use to kill you.**

**Deidara: Now now, un. Let's not kill the author, yeah? Who would finish the story?**

**Sasori: Would it really be a crime if it wasn't finished?**

**Gin: Yes it would be! **

**Me: Aye carumba... Speaking of finishing, the next chapter will be the last one, and it will be out within three or four weeks hopefully. Again, I have a legit excuse.**

**Gin: *nods* Okay... **

**Me: *eyes warily* You seem uncharacteristically calm...**

**Sasori: She's plotting your demise.**

**Me: Oh well, if that's all... I choose to die by Deidara's explosions. Anyway... Naruto ©Masashi Kishimoto, Daniella ©Gin no raita wa bara, Plot ©Me.**

**Gin: Well now that you've covered all your bases, on to the story! **

Chapter 7

A month passes by faster than I have ever thought that much time could. It is now the day before the finals and a few surprises have arrived. The first of which was the addition of someone I never expected.

_Flashback:_

"_Pet, this is Kabuto. He is one of the few people I trust completely." Oro-sama introduces me to this stranger. I continue to stare at the silver haired teen. Wait, isn't he from Konoha? He was that wimp that withdrew at the beginning of the preliminaries. "He has been living here in Konoha undercover for years, rarely making contact with me." _

_Oh. That makes sense. I'm guessing that he withdrew from the prelims to avoid revealing his power. I bow formally. This guy is trusted by Oro-sama so I trust him as well. "Hello. I'm Rivers Daniella."_

"_Oh, I know who you are." He stated. I'm just going to assume that that is a good thing. "So you are my substitute." _

_I twitch irritably, which I'm sure is visible. I don't know all of Oro-sama's plans, and as my Lord explained, this guy's been undercover for years, so maybe I am just a fill-in, but that doesn't mean that I can't get mad when someone talks to me like that, whether or not they're being condescending. _

"_No. She's not. Her job and your job are similar, but I still need her to continue. Especially since you revealed yourself to Kakashi, after I did. He knows that we're here, and we need someone who he doesn't already suspect to communicate with the sand village about the plan." My stomach sinks a bit. Kakashi does suspect me due to my slip up when acquiring information, but at least I have reasonable doubt on my side… I think._

_End_

After that meeting, I've harbored a slight irritation toward the silver haired four eyed boy. That aside, I've been prepping as much as possible for the war. I've equipped almost my entire arsenal of weapons and used as little chakra as possible over the last month in order to be at full capacity when the signal goes off. The final part of my mission is to relay information between various groups that are dispersed around the sides of the village, and then when the signal is given, fight.

Now I'm back in the suite in the hotel alone, laying on my back on the bed in my room. Oro-sama and Kabuto are taking care of some last minute business, talking to the sand village. As much as I'm game for getting Oro-sama what he desires, I still feel guilty for the things that he's been doing to them behind their backs… Killing their kazekage for example. I really can't think like that though. I will do whatever it takes to get Oro-sama his wish. A sound comes from the entrance to the suite and I wonder who it is. Dosu went out a little while ago to do something, but I don't know what, probably to hunt up Sasuke and challenge him. He still thinks that Oro-sama wants Sasuke eliminated or something. Poor boy, he's so out of the loop. I know that it isn't Kin or Zaku… Oro-sama has finally put them to full use, and I will never see them again. Not a huge loss on our end. I continue to listen and try to discern who has entered. Light footsteps make their way down the little hallway between my room and the bathroom. I listen intently and for a second, receive only silence, until the door to the room slides open. In steps Oro-sama as himself, free of disguise. I bolt upright immediately, get to my feet and stand at attention.

"Orochimaru-sama... What do you need?" I ask.

"Nothing Pet... I've just come to inform you asss one of the few people that I trussst, that I am now leaving, to fill the role of the kazekage. We will not meet again until the misssion hasss been completed..."

"Very well my lord. I will carry out the rest of your orders without fail. Konohagakure will be destroyed tomorrow as you wish." I state solemnly and nod respectively.

"Good... You have done very well my pet... You ssshall be rewarded when we return to our bassse."

My heart skips a beat. How will I be rewarded? As quickly as the thought enters my head, I force it out. Oro-sama will do what he finds to be best for me. "Thank you, you're a very kind leader..."

He doesn't say or do anything but stand there and stare at me. I resist the urge to fidget underneath his intense gaze. "Is that all?"

"...Come here." He orders.

As if controlled by an invisible puppet master, I stiffly move forward. "Yes?" I squeak (I actually squeaked! Oh my gosh, what has this man reduced me to?) when I reach him.

He continues to gaze at me intently, before lifting a hand to stroke my cheek, brushing some stray hairs behind my ear. I stare into his snake-like eyes. I'm not going to say that it was magical or any of that sappy crap, but I will say that it was something else. His hand cupped my cheek and I brought mine up to hold it in place. Rather than waiting for something else to happen, I decide to take matters into my own hands and be the capable girl that I've repeatedly proven myself to be, stand up on my toes and plant a kiss on my leader's surprisingly not scaly lips. He responds gently for someone who has shown himself to be forceful. To be honest, I'd prefer it if he were a little more aggressive. I urge him on, pouring more power into it, which causes him to add more. Soon enough, he overpowers me, and I smirk. This feels right. After another minute though, I realize that he should get going, much to my chagrin. I pull away. "Be careful my Lord."

He looks at me with an unfamiliar softness, before nodding. "We will continue thisss later."

I nod, ignoring the flutter in my stomach, and watch as he turns and exits the room, knowing that it will be awhile before I can see him again.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Okay, stations one through four are set. It's up to you to deploy the signal when the match starts." I tell the sound nin, I think his name is Kagemaru, in station five. His name is the least of my worries right now, as I'm nervous as I'll ever be. First of all, we had some problems getting each station set up without getting caught. Second, and it may just be me being paranoid, it seems like the village is _expecting _our attack. Last but not least, our attack is supposed to be launched during Sasuke's match with Gaara, but... SASUKE'S NOT HERE! They keep postponing his match rather than disqualifying him, the work of Oro-sama I'm sure. I sigh and take a deep breath before I really start freaking out and give us away.

The nin nods. I figure that I've done everything I can, for the moment, the best I can, and now it's time to join Kabuto in the guise of ANBU. I whip out the uniform cloak and mask and transport in, just in time to see the start of the match between that lazy kid and Temari. He's trying to get her her trapped in that shadow possession jutsu that he used on Kin back in the prelims. My mind involuntarily reels back to this morning when a sound nin delivered the news that Dosu was dead. From the state that his body was in (many, many bloody pieces), I figure that he went to pick a fight and lost. At first I wondered who he could have possibly wanted to fight, but then I remembered that gleam in his eye that he got when the opponents were decided for this. He went after Gaara so that he could get a shot at Sasuke, and the poor sucker fell victim to the demon that sand boy hosted. Fool. Although, I guess that he was still stuck on the fake orders that Oro-sama gave him in order to test Sasuke and was therefore still trying to kill him, ignorant of the real plan.

My attention is pulled back to the fight, where the slacker has got Temari stuck in his jutsu. He's forcing her to walk forward and raise her hand...

"I concede." He states tiredly. Wait, what? The same expression is displayed on everyone's face. All is silent and then the cries of outrage begin. I can't even make out his excuse. Oh well, he's clearly a lazy brat who doesn't ever want to put forth effort, so this was to be expected. Temari was declared the winner. She clears the arena and the whispering immediately begins.

"I've heard that the Uchiha is the favorite to win this match." I track the voice to a man in regal garb that's not quite feudal lord attire, but it's close.

"I don't know..." The man sitting next to him started. "This kid from the sand has great promise, being so mysterious."

So the match we've been waiting for is next. I notice that the blond loud mouth, Naruto, who I actually heard won his match against the Hyuuga prodigy, has joined his friend, and appears to be chewing him out for the forfeit. I tune out his jabbering which I'm sure that the entire stadium can hear, and watch with baited breath as I wait for the two participants to take the stage. Each second is agonizingly slowly, when I know that with each one that passes, our desired distraction slips away. The disgruntled cries of the eager audience grows ever louder.

"Where's Sasuke?" A gruff male shouts.

"Are we getting a fight from him or not?" Another hollers.

The anticipation is getting to all of us. Eventually Naruto stops running his mouth for a minute, and all is quiet. Soon, the sound of rushing wind pervades the spacious grounds, follwed by a tornado of dancing leaves, which ceases to reveal... Kakashi and Sasuke.

**Me: Well there you have it. The next one will end it all. **

**Gin: And it better be good! **

**Me: I will do my absolute best. So farewell for now...**


End file.
